It’s time to go racing…
The Centennial Era of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has now been in full swing since February of this year, and the City of Indianapolis is once again rolling out the red carpets for the tens of thousands of MotoGP fans who’ll start rolling into town in just a couple days.
The MotoGP circus has been moving into the Brickyard over the past weekend for the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. Trailer load after trailer load of MotoGP equipment has been making its way from Indianapolis International Airport out to West 16th Street since last Friday, and the pit area out at the Brickyard has been a bee hive of activity setting up all the team garages.
In the middle of all this activity, the Moto Taxi team spent Saturday morning getting back in the saddle again, reacquainting ourselves with all the nooks and crannies of the 16-turn road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. KTM is once again suppling a fleet of 990 Adventure motorcycles for the Moto Taxi team to retrieve fallen riders, and Tucker Rocky Distributing has outfitted the entire team with a brand-new line of adventure wear from their Speed & Strength line. For not being much of an off-road motorcyclist, this is some very fine technical riding gear!
Another very neat activity Saturday afternoon was the Pop Dreyer Ride. This annual event celebrates the history of Floyd “Pop” Dreyer, who opened his first motorcycle dealership on W. Washington St. in Indianapolis in 1952 selling BMWs. In 1958 Pop became the first Honda dealer east of the Mississippi. Today, Dreyer Honda, dealer number 100009, is recognized as the oldest dealership in the North American Honda organization and is run by third- and fourth-generation Dreyer family members. Over 500 motorcycles gathered at the dealership this past Saturday morning and paraded over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a lap of the MotoGP racecourse. As the lead bikes completed a full lap, the parade of bikes was still entering the course. Wow, what a site to see 2.61 miles of the Brickyard filled with motorcycles.
If you happen to be local to Indianapolis or get into town a bit early, the opening ceremonies and celebration of the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will take place Thursday morning Aug. 27. The event will start at 11 a.m. on South Meridian Street between Maryland and Georgia Streets. Motorcycle parking will be available on Meridian Street. Rumor has it several MotoGP riders will make an appearance and a very high-level Indiana State official will be arriving on a very special two-seater race bike. This should be a great event if you can make it.
This is just the beginning of three jam-packed days of experiences surrounding the second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. Be sure to check out the full schedule of activities and special events all over town at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com. Also, if you’re downtown, take a peak in the Nordstrom’s window on the corner of Meridian and Georgia Streets, and you might just see one of the special bikes out of my garage doing some serious “posing” duties along with a bunch of helmets out of my collection.
I’ll be looking for each and every one of you this weekend at “Where America Learned to Race”; the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Motorcyclists can make a difference!
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) is a non-profit charitable organization that seeks to:
•Find the cause of and cure for childhood brain tumors by supporting medical research
•Increase public awareness about the severity and prevalence of childhood brain tumors
•Aid in the early detection and treatment of childhood brain tumors
•Support a national database on all primary brain tumors
•Provide educational and emotional support for children and families affected by this life-threatening disease
The Ride for Kids® is a motorcyclist’s program that is helping find the cause and cure of pediatric brain tumors. It also serves as an educational support program for patients, their families and the medical community.
Mike and Dianne Traynor started the Ride for Kids® program in 1984 in Atlanta when a friend’s child was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After watching the tragic deaths of many children, they set out to help find the cause and cure of this childhood killer by soliciting help from their friends in the motorcycling community.
With the support of America’s motorcyclists, the program began to raise awareness and funds to pay for research in the nation’s leading brain tumor research centers. The success of the first Ride for Kids® event in Atlanta led to the program’s expansion to Chicago in 1989. Mike and Dianne soon decided to devote full-time attention to their advocacy and fundraising efforts, and started the PBTF in 1991.
The PBTF is honored to be the official charity of the Honda Rider’s Club of America (HRCA), which has been the presenting sponsor of Ride for Kids® since 1991. Thanks to the significant support of American Honda Motor Company’s motorcycle division, Honda dealers and other motorcycle industry companies, the program has raised more than $40 million for pediatric brain tumor research.
This support has helped make PBTF the largest non-profit source of funding for pediatric brain tumor research outside of the U.S. government. In addition to research grants to medical laboratories, PBTF funds started the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the U.S., a national database of disease and patient information.
Thanks to the efforts of Ride for Kids®, progress is being made in the search for the answer to this terrible affliction. Each year laboratories worldwide take steps toward new and more innovative treatments for young patients. However, until the cause is isolated, the prognosis of these children will continue to cast doubt on their recovery, and for those who survive, their resulting quality of life.
On Sunday, June 14, 2009, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the Indianapolis Ride for Kids®. When you join hundreds of other motorcyclists for this scenic ride, you’ll have a great time while raising funds for the PBTF’s medical research and family support programs! Riders on all makes and models of motorcycles are welcome to participate.
Registration opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 9:45 a.m. The escorted ride starts at 10 a.m. sharp, rain or shine!
The ride will loop back to the Speedway. After a light lunch, participants will enjoy a Celebration of Life program that features interviews with young brain tumor survivors – the Ride for Kids® “stars” of the day. Award presentations to top fundraisers will follow.
The minimum donation to ride is $35, but the more money you raise, the more premiums you earn. For each $300 you raise, your name will be entered into a drawing for a brand-new Honda motorcycle! For more information, call 800-253-6530 or visit the Ride for Kids® Web site.
This past Saturday, Dreyer Honda South hosted a bake sale to raise funds for the PBTF. During the course of the day, a delectable assortment of cakes, cookies, pies, cheesecakes and other treats were available for purchase with all the proceeds benefiting the PBTF. Throughout the day, local organizer Steve Kirkendoll shared details for the June 14, 2009 Indianapolis Ride for Kids® event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Keep your eyes peeled for more local fundraising events between now and June 14 here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com and be sure to put this on your ride calendar.
Greg
Old guys still go fast!
As I’m sitting here on a five-hour flight out to Ontario, Calif., I keep thinking about more milestones that seem to be popping up lately. Last week I shared some of the epic milestones occurring around the Town of Speedway and a few of the historic events that are launching a three-year Centennial Era celebration out on West 16th Street at the Brickyard.
I also spilled the beans about my good friend Reuben, who experienced his own milestone last week with the celebration of his 40th birthday. As much as he didn’t want it to happen, there was no stopping the inevitable march of time. He did put on a great surprise show, though!
Another longtime friend and former road racing teammate of mine, Jim Knipp, reached a milestone this past week with the celebration of his 50th birthday. Yikes, everybody I know is going over the hill these days.
Jim and I spent almost 10 years together as teammates on a locally sponsored motorcycle road racing team know as The Superbike Factory. Together, we campaigned in the Western Eastern Roadracers Association (WERA) series and the American Motorcyclist Association Pro Superbike series from the late 1970s through the late 1980s.
Our first venture into the AMA Pro Superbike Series was Daytona Bike Week in March 1981. With the help of Marc Wertzberger and his motorcycle dealership, Greenwood Honda, Jim and I put together a pair of Honda CB750F motorcycles and launched our campaign at the Daytona International Speedway. What an eye-opening experience that was. It was an unbelievable feeling to be going as fast as you think a bike could possibly go on the high-banks when Freddie Spencer and the freight train of leaders came whipping around you like you were dragging an anchor only nine laps into the race.
This past weekend marked the launch of a historic new era in AMA Pro Road Racing, continuing a motorcycle racing tradition that dates back to the inaugural running of the Daytona 200 on Jan. 24, 1937. Under the new ownership of Daytona Motorsports, a new age of AMA Pro Road Racing kicked off last week, culminating Friday night with the first-ever running of the Daytona 200 by Honda under the lights.
After 72 years featuring the innovations of Superbike and Grand Prix machines, the Daytona 200 has now been relegated to a middleweight production event. Wow!
Another good friend of mine also celebrated his 40th birthday milestone a little more than a year ago. Gene Burcham is a former motorcycle racer from the mid 1980s, and he also experienced his first and only Daytona 200 in 1988 when the format was full-blown 750cc modified Superbikes.
Like all of us in this era of milestones, Gene is experiencing his first major mid-life crisis. This past fall, he took the big fall and purchased a small fleet of new Ducati sport bikes, including two of the new 848 middle weight performance machines. That was just the beginning!
Months later and with new Ducati 848s, new truck, new trailer, new gear, new pit equipment, new this, new that and at age 41, Gene entered, qualified and successfully completed the 68th running of the Daytona 200 by Honda under the lights this past Friday, March 6 at Daytona International Speedway.
Now this isn’t just any old race to come back to after 20 years away from the sport. The Daytona 200 by Honda is also AMA Pro Road Racing’s new series format featuring middleweight production sport bikes with the likes of Ben Bostrom, Josh Herrin, Jason DiSalvo, Jamie Hacking, Miguel Duhamel and a whole host of ultra-fast factory backed riders competing.
Factory teams included entries from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia and Buell. The only factories not represented were Ducati and Triumph. Enter local old fast guy, Gene Burcham! Of the 84 pre-entries for the Daytona 200 by Honda, only a pair of Ducati 848s were entered, and only Gene managed to qualify for the main event to be held Friday night under the lights.
I won’t even get into the severe disadvantage the new format rules imposed on the Ducati 848 verses the 600cc, four-cylinder machines and the other vee twin’s 1000cc and 1125cc allowance, but did Gene manage to put the only Ducati 848 twin in the 75th position of a 75-bike field.
After enduring 52 laps under the lights of Daytona International Speedway, the grueling congestion of a 75-bike field, the absurdness of a “safety car” on a course with motorcycles, Gene managed to pull off a finish in 51st position.
Congratulations, Gene, for putting the only Ducati into the history books of the first Daytona 200 of a historic new era in AMA Pro Road Racing.
Not bad for a fellow “old fast guy”. Speed isn’t just for the young pups.
Now I hope Michael Lock out in Cupertino, Calif., hears about your feat and gets you some more ponies and a bit more top speed for your Ducati 848. Or maybe he could find out how the boys in Milwaukee wriggled out an allowance from Roger E for 1125cc so you could run your Ducati 1098 instead.
Oh, well, I think that’s about all the pot stirring I can come up with this week, and the battery in my laptop is about to go belly-up. So I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Bring on the “leafers”
This time of year in central Indiana can be full of interesting surprises from Mother Nature. Those of you who experienced the inaugural running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP back in September can certainly vouch for that! Fortunately, this past weekend was a glorious example of how great the combination of clear, warm, sunny days can be with the onset of the fall symphony of colors across the Hoosier state.
After two solid weeks of business travel with all the associated joys of airports, hotels and alien cities, I ended up with a long weekend that was blessed with unbelievable weather for this time of the year. One thing I have learned over all the years of travel is the humor you can find wherever you may be stuck. I hope this pilot figured out where he was going!
I decided to forgo all the fall chores around the homestead and ended up spending most of all three days exploring the twisty routes around central and southern Indiana. The onset of the traditional fall foliage has also brought out hordes of “leafers” out for leisurely drives to gawk at the colors of the fall season.
This past Sunday, Oct. 12 also marked the monthly meeting of the HSTA (Honda Sport Touring Association). Our meeting 
destination this month was the 58 Café in Kurtz, Ind. Being only four blocks long and three blocks wide, you would miss it if you blinked twice during a spirited blast across IN SR 58. Well, based on previous blogs about the HSTA group, you should remember that indulging in culinary delights is one of our main mission statements. The breaded tenderloins and homemade pies definitely put the town of Kurtz and the 58 Café high on the HSTA destination list.
We’ll have to ask fellow HSTA’er Mike Harrell if the coconut cream pie at the 58 Café even comes close to the brownie fudge caramel ice cream delight at the South Bend Chocolate Company on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis.
Fortunately, the monthly meeting agenda items were handled expeditiously, giving all the attendees plenty of time to enjoy a hardy lunch prior to round two of one of our favorite fall pastimes; dodging the meandering stream of fall “leafers.”
My trip back up to Indy also included one of the ultimate surprises for a sport bike rider; a 14-mile long, curvy ribbon of freshly laid pavement across IN SR 45 between Unionville and Beanblossom, Ind. What better experience could one ask for to wrap up a glorious fall weekend in central Indiana.
I’ll see you all in a couple weeks at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Historic traditions at the famous oval
Have you ever been so close to a destination you could almost see it but just couldn’t seem to get there? Indianapolis has some areas around town where city planners thought the idea of one-way roads made sense. It’s always entertaining to see a vehicle with out-of-state plates turning onto a one-way road and the subsequent look of terror in the eyes of the driver when they realize their predicament.
This past weekend, all roads led to Speedway, Ind., as hundreds of thousands of race fans from all over the world journeyed here to experience the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Now that’s a tradition that’s hard to top! The folks over on West 16th Street are also getting ready to launch what many motorcycle enthusiasts hope will become another longstanding tradition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS); the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, Sept. 14, 2008.
Weeks of planning went into every movement of the day to execute a very special demonstration to give the fans attending “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” a chance to experience a MotoGP bike first hand.
2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden made a couple laps of the IMS oval before the start of the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. I didn’t personally experience this special demonstration, but from the brief glimpses during t
he televised pre-race activities, it appeared Nicky was having no problem finding his way around this one-way road just off of West 16th Street.
Here’s a shot from IMS photographer Brad Love of Nicky Hayden making his way around the famous oval. Also, check out IMS media correspondent Pat Sullivan’s interview with Nicky after his historic demonstration lap at redbullingindianapolisgp.com.
See you all next week as we continue our countdown to September on redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Time for a major speed week in Indy
Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has now come and gone. The weather gods gave the track two beautiful spring-like days for the final weekend of qualifying, setting the field for the running of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25. The following day, the entire starting field then celebrated with a trip to the Big Apple, New York City, for a media blitz and museum tour. Monday morning, every weather forecaster in the Indianapolis area was, of course, taking credit for delivering the perfect weekend of weather.
For me, a perfect weekend of weather translated into two full days in the saddle of several of my favorite sport bikes. Saturday started off with a cruise on the Ducati 999 R Xerox up to Ducati Indianapolis for an espresso and a preview of the new Ducati Monster 696. Hey Jarrod, if you’re looking for a middleweight addition to your stable, this looks to be one awesome bike for your ride. After a second pastry and another espresso shot, I joined several of my riding buddies and Bill Carr, owner of Ducati Indianapolis, for a monster lunch at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. Now that’s a hamburger to experience!
A quick run up to Westfield to check out some new Yamaha motard bikes was followed by a trip down to West 16th Street to check out the newest addition to the Indianapolis bike scene. R. Falcone Motorsports has created a showroom glistening in German modern functionalist style with the recent opening of the BMW Motorcycles of Indianapolis dealership. The BMW guys have already experienced Jarrod last week, and they can now add Greg, Mike and Craig to their lounge list.
No day of cruising local motorcycle dealerships is complete without a trip around the Soldiers and Sailors monument in downtown Indianapolis, and no lap of the circle is complete without a stop at The South Bend Chocolate Company for a scoop of tasty ice cream in a chocolate dipped waffle cone with not one but two chocolate malt balls in the bottom of the cone. Now that’s a treat to experience!
A trip down to the old Greenwood Dog & Suds is always a must-do experience on a lazy sunny Saturday afternoon. Given this day had already been dedicated to cruising and gastronomic treats, the Dog & Suds is a cruisers nirvana of automotive classics; both the cars and their owners.
Sunday morning broke crisp and clear with the monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Honda Sport Touring Association (HSTA) on the agenda. Not to break company with my riding buddies from Saturday, I jumped on the Ducati 1098 S Tricolore and joined them for the ride down to Story, Indiana, for the HSTA meeting at the Story Inn. Guess what we did; more good food and sharing experiences with great friends.
After “The Meeting,” my riding buddies headed for the dual-sport roads with their dual-sport bikes, and I joined several other sport bike-mounted HSTA members for a responsibly spirited ride through the paved twisties of Brown County to wrap up the perfect weekend.
Well, all good things have to come to an end; MONDAYS. The 33 members of the Indianapolis 500 class of 2008 experienced a perfect weekend followed by the sites, sounds and epicurean treats of The Big Apple while I dined my way from Zionsville to Story, Indiana, and back.
Be sure to catch the pre-race activities this coming Sunday morning, May 25. A very special preview event is on tap for around 11 a.m. as 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden laps the legendary oval on a Honda RC212V MotoGP bike. That should be a very special event to experience.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
How to beat the GAS man!
Finally, a full week of beautiful weather in central Indiana. I was able to park the H3 Hummer for most of the week and make the daily commute with two wheels. It’s still pretty amazing to spend over $10 to fill the tank of a motorcycle, but that really beats the $75 it takes to feed the Hummer its full meal. Starting a typical workday off with a ride definitely gets you in a great state of mind. About the time the joy of the morning ride is starting to wear off, you start thinking of a good, winding route back home for the evening commute. Wow, am I glad the dreariness of winter is finally gone away.
This past weekend a local motorcycle accessory dealer, Adam’s Biker Outlet, hosted an open house at their store in Carmel, Ind. The Brickyard marketing team had asked if I could bring my Honda CBR1000RR Repsol up to Adam’s for this open house event. Sure, what a great way to spend what turned out to be a glorious day of sunshine, good cooking, great music and new friends. If you ever what to get your motorcycle detailed, I can highly recommend Adam’s detailing team. This customer was very satisfied with his motorcycle detail experience! 
I ended up bringing the Honda Repsol Nicky Hayden replica bike and a new ’08 Yamaha YZF R1 Fiat M1 replica I’ve recently added to the stable. I figured what better way to represent this September’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP front grid than putting two former MotoGP world champions, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, together at Adam’s open house event.
Not to be shown up, Mel Harder from the Brickyard popped in with a very appropriate vehicle to pace this fast crowd, the 2008 Corvette that will be pacing this year’s Indianapolis 500 in May. Now that was quite the display of both two-wheel and four-wheel sports vehicles for Adam’s guests to enjoy.
Well, it’s now the start of another week. The dreary weather is back with both rain and frost. I’m back to the four-wheel commute, wondering once again if spring is ever going to stay around for a while and if the Hummer still likes the GAS man.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
A photographic history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in Nicky Hayden’s first historic motorcycle lap of the new road course at the Brickyard. After all the morning activities, a small group of enthusiasts was treated to a couple hours of watching Nicky make evaluation laps of the new course on a Honda CBR 1000RR for the IMS Facilities group.
While watching Nicky from the new Turn 4 near the south entrance, I met Dave Hilberry, the curator of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum photographic archives. Dave was shooting photos of Nicky’s first Brickyard experience, two of which I featured in my April 8 blog entry.
Over the next couple hours, I was treated to an outstanding review of many of the historic events at the Brickyard that are captured on film and preserved in the photographic archives at the museum. Dave has been a lifelong resident of Speedway, Ind., and has been a longtime part of IMS’ ongoing efforts to maintain and document the history of motorsports.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum offers a constantly changing display of motorsports history over the past 100 years. A visit to the Museum is a must-see during any trip to the Brickyard to see and experience the historic elements of the collection.
The photographic archives are located on the second floor of the Museum, and that area is easily missed if you are unaware of it. Just ask any of the always-friendly Museum staff at the information counter, and they will direct you up to Dave Hilberry’s area. Be prepared for a very informative journey into the history of the Brickyard. Chances are you will find a photo of one of your past Brickyard experiences to take home with you.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com .
Greg
Not all Mondays are blue
After all my confessions last week about my fair-weather riding tendencies, central Indiana was finally blessed with a beautiful spring weekend. The mornings were still crisp, but that ideal 50-degree point was quickly surpassed, giving forth to a couple ideal spring riding days.
After such a glorious weekend, Mondays can really be a major drag, especially when the forecast is a continuation of the first bright spring weekend of the season.
Not so on this particular Monday!
April 7, 2008 marked the first major track event of the upcoming Red Bull Indianapolis GP with the first motorcycle laps on the new 2.620-mile, 16-turn road course at the Brickyard. Nicky Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP world champion from Owensboro, Ky., piloted a recently restored bright red 1908 Indian around the new course, complete with vintage racing regalia, at a blistering speed of 45 mph. This amazing piece of racing machinery made its first laps around the original Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Aug. 14, 1909. Check it out here.
Shortly after this first historic lap, Nicky jumped into a telephone booth and emerged 100 years later in modern day motorcycle racing gear, trading the 1908 Indian for a 2008 Honda CBR1000RR roadracing machine sporting special livery for this event. The ensuing laps were a bit quicker on this World Superbike spec machine. Nicky put on a spectacular show for hundreds of enthusiasts who gathered around the south end of the facility by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
After Nicky’s series of hot laps around the new course, a small group of guests were afforded the opportunity to experience their own lap of the new Brickyard road course. Since red seemed to be the color of the day, my ’06 Ducati 999R Xerox seemed the logical choice for my first lap of the new course. Jarrod, my co-blogger here at redbullindianapolisgp.com, myself and 30 or so other lucky guests took a leisurely lap behind a pair of our city’s finest from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department motorcycle division.
Unfortunately, all good dreams have to come to an end, and now Tuesday feels more like Monday. But oh, what an experience to remember.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
When only the best will do …
A Kentucky tradition since 1963, the Moonlite Bar-B-Q in Owensboro, Ky., has been voted the Best Barbecue in Kentucky by Kentucky Monthly and Kentucky Living readers. Now ask anybody from Kansas City or Dallas or maybe Memphis, and they will all solidly refute that claim, boldly claiming their local barbecue to be the finest in all the land!
Where am I going with all of this? Another fine Kentucky tradition is Earl’s Racing Team in Owensboro, Ky. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the home of Earl’s Racing Team with Mel Harder from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Hayden’s had graciously agreed to loan a very special motorcycle to the IMS to exhibit in their booth at the Dealer News Powersports Expo in Indianapolis.
On a brisk but sunny Sunday morning, Mel and I drove down to the “OWB” to meet up with Earl Hayden at the family compound. Nestled in the back of garage complex was a Hayden racing fan’s NIRVANA of racing memorabilia! Proudly sitting next to a collection of Nicky, Tommy and Roger Lee championship motorcycles, leathers, helmets and trophies was the 2006 Honda RC211V motorcycle that carried Nicky over the finish line at the Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana in Valencia, Spain, in November 2006, winning the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.
Earl Hayden is one proud father, and we spent the better part of an hour talking about all his kids’ accomplishments and touring the Earl’s Racing Team compound before loading up Nicky’s 2006 MotoGP championship motorcycle in the trailer for the trip back to Indianapolis.
Now back to the Moonlite Bar-B-Q. If you’re ever in the “OWB” and have the chance to ask Earl Hayden where a good place is for lunch, you better be ready to experience the Best Barbecue in Kentucky, if not the best in the land! And, oh by the way, it is just across the street from the Hayden family compound, ready to serve an outstanding gastronomic experience in the finest Kentucky tradition.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg